Who are the Regional Peer-Supported Learning Centre?

James has been the manager of the PSLC 2010. With nearly two decades of experience in working with students to improve their performance and holding degrees in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, James has brought a lot to the centre in his tenure here. Under his management, programmes have been offered in all faculties in UL and in sister institutions within the Shannon Consortium.

If you need to discuss a current, or the development of a new, PSLG programme you can contact James by:

Abdulhussain E. Mahdi is a senior lecturer in the Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Limerick, Ireland. He is Course Director of the Graduate Diploma/MEng in Computer Engineering and Course Coordinator of the All Ireland MSc in Biomedical Engineering. He is the Director of the Regional Peer-Supported Learning Centre and Joint Director of the ICT Learning Centre at the University of Limerick. He is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), member of the UK Institution of Engineering and Technology, member of the UK Engineering Council and a Founder Member of the International Compumag Society (ICS).

Since joining UL in 2000, he has initiated and implemented a number of innovative learner-centred and student support schemes and projects, which have been highly commended at institution and national levels and have received a considerable amount of funding particularly from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) – Ireland. These project include setting up a Peer Supported Learning Groups (PSLG) scheme for the Faculty of Informatics & Electronics in 2002; a Student Support Centre for the Department of ECE in 2004; a national (Irish) Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) Network in 2006; and developing an on-line interactive study skills development system (Skills SuperStore) in 2006.

In 2008, he set up the Regional Peer-Supported Learning Centre (PSLC), The initiative, funded by the HEA under their Strategic innovation Fund – Phase II (SIF II), has been built on the experience and expertise in peer-supported learning in all Shannon Consortium partner institutions, particularly that related to the University of Limerick's highly successful academic enrichment programme known as Peer-Supported Learning Groups (PSLG). He has also initiated a multi-disciplinary project on promoting inquiry-based science learning in Irish primary schools. The project is led by Dr. Mahdi and involves the ECE Department and the Education & Professional Studies Department.